MEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION

Dept. Medical Instrumentation Engineering

Second year

Infant incubator
Lecture 6

Assist. Lec. Raya B. Younis

 INFANT INCUBATOR
Infant incubator: is an apparatus used to maintain environmental conditions (Warmth,

Humidity and Oxygen) suitable for a neonate (newborn baby). The device may include a

heater, a fan, a container for water to add humidity, a control valve through which oxygen

may be added, and access ports for nursing care.

Figure 1: infant incubator

INDICATIONS OF INCUBATOR

 All premature babies, babies with low birth weight (<1000g) may need incubator.

 Incubator is used to transport babies from one place to another (referral to another

hospital, within the hospital for various investigations e.g. CT scan & MRI).

 Neonates who need close observation are also kept in the incubators.

INFANT INCUBATOR FUNCTIONS

1. Controls the temperature.

2. Controls the humidity.

3. Can deliver additional oxygen.

4. Protects against infections and diseases.

5. Protects against noise.

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INFANT INCUBATOR TYPES

1. Portable: Portable incubator can be used to transport the baby to another area of

hospital as needed.

Figure 2 portable incubator

2. Open care: used to keep unstable babies or newly born babies. A radiant warmer can
be attached if child needs.

Disadvantages of this type:

 It cannot maintain thermo neutral environment.

 It cannot filter the air and neonate is directly in the contact with external environment.

It has only advantage that neonate in this incubator can be observed well and can be handled
easily.

Figure 3:Open care incubator

3. Close care: As neonate remain inside the box the risk of infection is minimum.

4. Double walled: The incubator has two walls to prevent heat and fluid loss.

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OPERATION PRINCIPLE

Heating and humidification systems are located beneath the infant compartment. A

fan blows filtered ambient air over a heating element and a water container. Through a

control valve additional oxygen can be supplied to the air. The moistened, heated and

enriched air now flows into the above cabinet with the baby. After the desired temperature is

set by the nurse, it is kept stable automatically by the incubator. Humidity and oxygen

concentration are usually controlled manually. Most incubators are equipped with

proportional heating controls that provide electrical power to the heating coil, in response to

the difference between the actual temperature and the desired temperature. Furthermore the

incubator has a safety switch-off function when the temperature increases 40°C. Also an

alarm is given when the fan does not turn in case the power fails.

The cabinet is made of a clear plastic. A hinged hood can be opened to put the baby in

or take it out. Most incubators have hand access ports with doors that permit easy access to

the baby without letting out the warm air by opening the hood.

Figure 4 operation principle

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TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Temperature is regulated using either incubator Air or Skin temperature as the

controlling parameter. Most incubators have two modes of operation:

1. Air mode: With the air-temperature (manual) control, the operator sets the

temperature of the air in the incubator. changes in infant body temperature are usually

measured periodically with a thermometer, and adjustments in air temperature are

made accordingly.

2. Skin mode: In the skin temperature control (automatic) mode, a sensor is taped to the

infant's skin, and the heater responds to changes in the sensor to keep the skin

temperature at the preset level.

Because the room temperature of the nursery is nearly always lower than the temperature

inside the incubator, radiant heat loss through the incubator walls accounts for as much as

half the infant's total heat loss. In some nurseries, a plastic heat shield is placed over the

infant inside the incubator to minimize radiant heat loss. In addition, some incubators have

double walls separated by an air space to prevent excessive heat loss.

THE SYSTEMS OF INFANT INCUBATOR

1. Air circulation system:

a) Fans: used to distribute the air inside the glass and also distribute the temperature

that the heater made it through the operation.

b) Filters: clean the air before it is pulled into the incubator, preventing harmful

particles from entering the incubator and possibly infecting the infant's lungs.

Filters must be replace each three month.

c) Air convection tube: it convect air from behind filters directly to air chamber.

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 2. Humidification system:

a) Water tank: contains distilled water down infant chamber, water must be replaced

every 24 hours at least.

b) Mechanical switch: control on dry and moist air.

3. Heating system :

a) Heater: helps maintain an infant's body temperature. The temperature is always

monitored through a temperature controller.

b) Thermostat: used to control the temperature inside the incubator so it will be

disconnected when the temperature reached the wanted level.

4. Infant's chamber: it is made of resist glass or plastic.

5. Alarm system: incubator has simple alarm system to alert the clinical staff if there is

any dangerous overheating of the device. In some cases, the circuit also immediately

reduces power to the heater to stop the overheating.

Figure 5 : incubator's systems block diagram

The main parameters monitored by infant incubator are:

 ECG monitoring: three electrodes are placed on the baby's chest for ECG continuous

monitoring. The same electrodes are also used for respiration monitoring.

 Skin monitoring: premature infants’ skin has fewer layers of stratum corneum, so

there is a risk of injuries and infections.

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  Neonatal jaundice: phototherapy lights are used when babies are jaundiced (yellow)

by using certain wavelengths of light (in the blue part of the spectrum) .

 Temperature & humidity monitoring: temperatures range around 30 to 37ºc,

humidity levels range from 50 to 90%, depending on the babies' size and age.

Figure 6: Equipment in the NICU

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